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1st Auto Grow - Light Schedules Confused - Advice Help/Please

Cazald68

Cazald68

New member
Hello Everyone It's Friday YAY!!! :p - Well I have finished my FIRST EVER grow Amnesia Haze Photoperiods some beautiful plants! - Harvested and now waiting to cure :o I haven't tried any yet! The Sticky and the smell is so lush :)

So, on to my next grow I am trying Sweet Skunk Autos. They have just peeped their beautiful little heads out of the soil (I am using Tomorite Soil (60% Perlite 40%) I have cleaned and disinfected my tent ready for them. The light shedule I am starting with is 18 light - 6 dark- So I know they will flower on their own, my question is when the Pistills appear do I switch to bloom and change the light shcedule again to 18 dark and 6 light? I have researched and I've got myself confused. Any advice on Autos would be great, I am so excited about this grow, actually any grow :joy: - Thank you !!


Indoor Grow: RQS Sweet Skunk Autos - LED Lights,only using Rain Water, Tomarite, Perlite, Fabric Pots
Nutrients: Fish Poo, Bloom A&B, Black Strap Molasses
 
So the light schedule never changes during both stages! Thats great Thank you! I will go with 20 - 4
 
Nope, not with autos. Some people leave the lights on 24x7 for autos. Others do the regular 18/6 with great success. Personally I’ve had better luck with 20/4, they seem to get a little bigger than 18/6. I don’t do 24x7 because I think the plants and light deserves a little bit of a break
 
I totally respect the answer above but I do 18/ 6 on my autos flowering cycles because I believe that the dark period a plant experiences gives the plant an opportunity to rest. Imo I try to keep my light cycle as natural as I can because I think it reduces stress in a flowering plant.
 
Texasbob I've been wondering about imitating the natural light cycle. Not sure where to start. I'm assuming you mean sunrise and sunset as opposed to flipping a light switch on or off? Don't wanna hijack this thread though...do you have a link to share?
 
swegrow Thank you 20 - 4 it is - I am so scared of overwatering! Question out of curiosty, how long did your Autos take? Ive read between 10 - 12 weeks - My last grow (although not Autos took 6 months - When they say 4!)
 
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Texasbob - I have heard this also, out of curosity how long from start to finish on 18 - 6? i have read 10 - 12 weeks? I am not in a hurry, when I decided on the Amnesia Photo they said 4 months but it took 6 months! Thank you
 
golfnrl, I grow indoors so my light is on a timer so 18 with light on 6 off. Please don't worry about hijacking the thread because we are having a conversation and that can never be a bad thing! Imo plants have evolved for millions of years under a more natural light schedule and the more we mimic that the better the results. This has worked well for me. Again, imo plants repair damage, grow roots and uptake nutrients during the dark period which results in a healthier plant.
 
Cazald68 I use the 18/6 throughout the lifespan of an auto. How long it takes depends on the strain you are growing. I never really watch the calendar instead I do my best every day for my plants and as they are getting close to harvest I monitor the color of the trichomes with a jewelers loupe, that is the only way to know for sure the best time to harvest. One of the best peices of advice I have ever been given is " when you think it is time to harvest wait a week " if you try that you will be amazed how true it is.
 
@Texasbob...I use the same light schedule for my photo fems. And I totally agree with your thoughts about the dark period. Haven't tried an auto grow yet...waiting on more experience. She said I could get another tent so it won't be long and I'll be growing some autos. But I digress. I am wondering how to imitate a sunrise and a sunset.
 
golfnrl. I prefer photos so I can control the veg time. If you feel comfortable with photos I would not be in a hurry to grow autos. I had a breeder send me some freebies so I tried them and they have gone great but I would choose photos if I am buying seeds. It would be an interesting experiment to mimic sunset and sunrise to see if there is any benefit. My lights click on in full intensity on a timer and it seems to work well. If I can help you in any way please let me know.
 
Thx Texasbob. I don't know yet whether I prefer autos or photos...but the experiment will be fun. IF I decide to try it. I thought I saw an LED ad for a new light that had the sunrise/sunset capability but I may have been looking through a Purple #1 haze at the time, lol. At any rate, I was thinking about that when I read your post. A simulated sunrise/sunset may not do a thing for the plants but it might be cool to watch. And, I'm interested in the technology that might be used to imitate the sunrise. If its out there.
 
I agree that I prefer photos over autos if a choice had to be made between the two. I’ve grown photos for a long time and I’ve only been growing autos since March but I’m starting to gain a better appreciation for them. I run a perpetual system and usually have space in the veg tent so I upgraded from a T5 to a full spectrum Mars Hydro. Now I’ll be able to harvest a couple autos every 10wks.
 
Thank you - Im really looking forward to it to see the difference between the autos and photos - I think I'm leaning towards 20 - 4
 
Ive had autos finish as fast as 7 weeks. You have to check the trichomes with a loupe or microscope almost daily at the end to determine when they are ready. With watering just, take it easy. Let the soil dry out almost completely before watering. You can lift the pot up and if its light enough you water. Take some training but Im sure you will make it perfect!
 
swegrow Thank you for that! It's totally different from the Sativa grow! I wonder if I could trouble you with one more question, how and when will I know to turn lights to bloom? If the Pistills show up in 2-3 weeks after the seedling has been planted, that wouldn't be long enough in Veg? Thank you again for your advice and help.
 
@Cazaid68 You dont have to change light cycle ever! Thats the thing with autos, they have a short lifespan and flower when ready and not according to time of daylight! So blast her with 20/4 from start to finish and you will do fine!
 
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